Deacons Bemiss, Lennon and Riley were ordained for the Archdiocese of Detroit, Bro. Rice for the SOLT community
DETROIT — Four men made the next step in their priestly formation as they were ordained deacons by Detroit Archbishop Emeritus Allen H. Vigneron on April 11 in the chapel of Sacred Heart Major Seminary.
Deacons Charles Bemiss, Joseph Lennon and Anthony Riley were ordained transitional deacons for the Archdiocese of Detroit, while Bro. Gregory Rice was ordained for the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity.
The four newly ordained clergy will spend the final year in formation serving as intern deacons at parishes in the Archdiocese of Detroit while finishing their final year of studies before, God-willing, their priestly ordinations in May 2027.
Archbishop Vigneron explained to the four men that the Rite of Ordination, which took place during the liturgy, was an act of God as part of His plan for the salvation of all humanity from sin and death.
“We are about to be present at God’s saving action, continuing His work of salvation history in our midst,” Archbishop Vigneron said. “It’s God who consecrates these four brothers of ours to be deacons. This saving deed — work by the Father through Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit — in the sacred liturgy is revealed to us in a special way through the Liturgy of the Word, a special way of God’s own explanation of what He is about to do.”
Archbishop Vigneron likened the men who presented themselves for ordination to the prophet Jeremiah, answering the Lord’s call to be sent as a messenger of His word.
“In the prophet Jeremiah, it becomes clear to us that when men present themselves to be ordained by Christ, they are responding to a prior initiative by the Lord,” Archbishop Vigneron said. “He has called them, then they answer. Like Jeremiah, brothers, you have heard the Lord.
“Jesus has said to you, just as he said to the Apostles, ‘It was not you who chose me; it was I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit,’” Archbishop Vigneron added. “The Scripture testifies that the Lord’s call to mission addresses men at their very core of being. As the Lord said to the prophet, He says to you, brothers, ‘In the womb, before you were born, I dedicated you a prophet to the nations.’”
The nature of the mission the four deacons were called to fulfill was further revealed in the second reading of the liturgy, when Peter descends from the Upper Room to boldly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
“Your mission is nothing other than what we heard in Peter’s sermon in the Acts of the Apostles,” Archbishop Vigneron said. “This mission is, to put it simply, to proclaim the kerygma, the good news that Jesus is God’s anointed, His messiah, His promised one. The one whose death and rising has destroyed death and sin, delivers us from judgment, and gained for us eternal life. This is your mission through ordination today.”
Following the homily, each of the four candidates made their Promise of the Elect, where they pledged their respect and obedience to their respective ordinary and his successors. The four candidates then prostrated themselves before the altar as the assembly sang the Litany of Supplication, praying for the elect.
The candidates then, one by one, knelt before Archbishop Vigneron, who laid his hands upon them in the most solemn moment of the rite, praying the prayer of ordination and ordaining the men as deacons in the Catholic Church.
Following ordination, the deacons were invested with the stole and dalmatic, signs of the office of deacon, by their fellow deacons throughout the Archdiocese of Detroit.
The newly ordained deacons were then handed the Book of the Gospels, with Archbishop Vigneron exhorting them to, “Believe what you read, teach what you believe and practice what you teach.”
Archbishop Vigneron and the deacons present then welcomed the newly ordained with the sign of peace.
Mass continued with the newly ordained Deacon Riley serving as Deacon of the Word, and Deacon Bemiss serving as Deacon of the Altar, preparing the altar for the Holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist for the first time.
“The beginning part I was a little used to, setting up the corporal and getting that ready,” Deacon Bemiss told Detroit Catholic. “But then taking off the pall, the lid for the chalice and elevating the chalice with Archbishop Vigneron, who I’ve known for so long and has been such a big inspiration in my life, it’s incredibly humbling to serve the Lord in that way.”
For the three seminarians studying for the Archdiocese of Detroit, it was special to celebrate Mass with Archbishop Vigneron, who first accepted them as seminarians for the archdiocese.
“I couldn’t have asked for it to be any other way,” Deacon Bemiss said. “It was so special to have him here, it was coming full circle for us. Just three years ago, Archbishop Vigneron did our Candidacy Mass when we were moving on from the undergraduate school to the graduate school of theology, and we were recognized as candidates for holy orders. For him to recognize us as candidates, and then to celebrate the Mass where we’re ordained clerics as deacons for the Church is incredibly special.”
After the distribution of Communion, Deacon Lennon spoke words of gratitude on behalf of his diaconal class, thanking God, their families, Archbishop Vigneron, faculty and staff at Sacred Heart Major Seminary for their vocations and the support they have received along the way.
“We are deacons, praise be Jesus Christ,” Deacon Lennon said, followed by a round of applause from the assembly. “We’re so grateful to Our Lady, for keeping us in her mantle, for helping us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and to behold Him in every circumstance of our lives and protecting our vocations.
“We also thank Sacred Heart Major Seminary, especially the priests here. Thank you so much for your brotherhood and your fatherhood, and for being patient with us,” Deacon Lennon added. “Formation takes time. Thank you for allowing us that time to be formed in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Thank you, Fathers. Thank you to our brother seminarians and religious. Brother Greg, thank you for your brotherhood and friendship, and we’re so grateful to be with you on this journey.
“And lastly, we want to thank our families. The vocation starts at home, so thank you so much just for being that witness to us,” Deacon Lennon continued. “Keep praying for us, keep walking with us, and, please God, we'll see you in a year as priests.”
